Ask Joe: Teacher Sick Time

Joan Harpham wrote in saying as a parent of a Washoe County School District student, she would like to know how many days per year teachers are allowed to be out of the classroom ?

I checked with a former colleague of ours, Victoria Campbell, who now works over at the school district. Here's how it breaks down: Teachers in Washoe County public schools get summers off but they do not get vacation days per se. They do get 15 days of sick leave that they are allowed to use each school year and any unused days can be carried over to the next year. They also get three days of professional business leave and two days personal leave to use how they wish. This is all approved under a teacher's union agreement and you can read the policies for yourself simply by going on to the school district website and looking under negotiated agreements. All of the wording is there for the public's viewing.